-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- They thought the tonsil surgery would help her . She feared she 'd never wake up .

Now , a 13-year-old girl once known for smiling , giggling and dropping off her sister every day at kindergarten lies motionless in a California hospital bed , hooked up to machines that doctors say are the only thing keeping her heart beating .

There have been days of prayers and protests for Jahi McMath . There was a fierce court battle as a devastated family fought to keep her on life support and doctors argued she had already died . The case drew national attention and fueled debate .

Doctors and a judge have declared her brain dead and said there 's no chance Jahi will come back to life .

A deadline loomed Monday as a judge had said the hospital could disconnect the machines after 5 p.m. -LRB- 8 p.m. ET -RRB- . But shortly before Jahi could have been cut off , that same judge extended his order to 5 p.m. -LRB- 8 p.m. ET -RRB- on January 7 .

`` This child was sitting on death row , '' said family attorney Christopher Dolan . `` This was a facility that was hell bent on ending this child 's life today , and a court stepped in . ''

Children 's Hospital Oakland spokesman Sam Singer said the hospital would comply with the order .

Earlier , the girl 's family told reporters it had located a facility in New York willing to take Jahi . The Oakland hospital , however , `` refused to agree to allow us to proceed in that matter , '' according to the girl 's uncle , Omari Sealey .

Attorneys for the family are filing a new complaint in federal court requesting a temporary restraining order and an injunction to prevent the hospital from disconnecting Jahi from life support , he said . They also are filing an appeal with California appellate courts .

Asked about the New York facility , Singer said that the hospital has had no `` substantive '' conversations with any such place .

It 's unclear what will happen next .

But one thing is certain , the spokesman said .

`` There are no winners in this very tragic case , '' Singer told reporters .

Bleeding , cardiac arrest and brain death

Family members say the 8th grader was alert and talking after doctors removed her tonsils , adenoids and extra sinus tissue in a surgery earlier this month .

Doctors had recommended the surgery to treat pediatric obstructive sleep apnea , a condition which made her stop breathing in her sleep and caused other medical problems .

Before the surgery , Jahi said she was worried that she would never wake up , according to her uncle . She seemed fine after the surgery , but asked for a Popsicle because her throat hurt .

It was n't long before something went terribly wrong .

In the intensive care unit , the girl began bleeding profusely -- an image her mother told CNN would be forever seared in her mind .

According to family members , Jahi went into cardiac arrest . Days later , she was declared brain dead .

Hospital officials have said privacy laws prevent them from discussing details of the case .

In court documents and public comments , they 've maintained that there 's no doubt that McMath is brain dead , describing the condition as irreversible . An independent doctor and a judge supported that conclusion last week .

`` No amount of prayer , no amount of hope , no amount of any type of medical procedure will bring her back , '' Singer said Monday . `` The medical situation here in this case is that Jahi McMath died several weeks ago . ''

Family raises money , searches for answers

But Jahi 's family members maintain that they 're hoping for a miracle and want to transfer the girl from Children 's Hospital Oakland to another facility .

The girl 's uncle told reporters Monday that Jahi moves when her mother speaks and touches her . Sealey also said that a pediatrician has seen Jahi and has sworn she is not dead .

When asked about the girl 's possible movement , the hospital spokesman , citing privacy laws , said he would not comment directly on any claims the family makes .

However , Singer said it is `` quite common '' for the muscles of brain-dead patients to move , stressing it 's `` not a sign of life . ''

Media reports suggest one earlier treatment location option fell through . The attorney representing Jahi 's family did not respond to requests from CNN for comment on the matter .

So far the family has raised $ 27,000 on GoFundMe.com to move her . According to the site , more than 800 people have donated money in three days .

When ` life support ' is really ` death support '

Court document reveals details

Medical ethicists , meanwhile , say the high-profile case fuels a misperception : that `` brain death '' is somehow not as final as cardiac death , even though , by definition , it is . The case is `` giving the impression that dead people can come back to life , '' Arthur Caplan , director of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center , told CNN last week

CNN has obtained a copy of a medical report , contained in a court filing , that lays out in extensive detail the testing that supports the hospital 's conclusion that McMath has no hope of recovery .

The report was prepared by Dr. Paul Fisher , Chief of Pediatric Neurology at Stanford University , who was appointed by Alameda Superior Court Judge Evelio Grillo to examine the girl and report his findings to the court .

Fisher found that the girl 's pupils were fully dilated and unresponsive to light and that she did not respond to a variety of intense stimuli .

His report also says McMath showed no sign of breathing on her own when a ventilator was removed : `` Patient failed apnea test . '' While the family has referred to Jahi 's heart beating , the report says it is only beating because of the mechanical ventilator .

In addition , an imaging test showed no blood flow to Jahi 's brain , while another showed no sign of electrical activity .

Fisher 's conclusion : `` Overall , unfortunate circumstances in 13-year-old with known , irreversible brain injury and now complete absence of cerebral function and complete absence of brainstem function , child meets all criteria for brain death , by professional societies and state of California . ''

Family criticizes hospital

Jahi 's family has criticized the hospital 's handling of the matter , accusing doctors of pressuring them to disconnect life support .

`` We wish to acknowledge that Jahi 's case , and our stance regarding her right to life , and her mother 's right to make decisions regarding her child , has stirred a vibrant , sometimes polarizing , national debate . This was never our intention , '' the family 's statement said . `` We have our strong religious convictions and set of beliefs and we believe that , in this country , a parent has the right to make decisions concerning the existence of their child : not a doctor who looks only at lines on a paper , or reads the cold black and white words on a law that says ` brain dead ' and definitely not a doctor who runs the facility that caused the brain death in the first place . ''

Singer , the hospital spokesman , described the situation Monday as tragic `` by every measure of the word . ''

`` There has been some limited conversation between the hospital 's attorney and the family 's attorney , but that 's a privileged communication and I have no update on behalf of the hospital at this moment , '' he said , `` other than to say our hearts , our sympathy , go out to this family and the young woman 's body on the respirator at this hospital . ''

When routine surgeries go wrong

CNN 's Mayra Cuevas , Cristy Lenz , Janet DiGiacomo , Elizabeth Landau , Dana Ford , Dan Simon , Michael Martinez and Carma Hassan contributed to this report .

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Move means the hospital can not disconnect the girl until January 7

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The family of Jahi McMath says they have located a facility willing to take her

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The 13-year-old suffered complications after tonsil surgery

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Doctors and a judge have declared her brain dead